Hard-disk drives (HDDs) have been widely used as data-storage devices of computers and have been one of indispensable data-storage devices in current computer systems. A HDD includes a magnetic-recording disk for storing data, a head-slider, and an actuator for moving the head-slider to a designated position in proximity with the recording surface of the magnetic-recording disk. The assembly of the actuator and the head-slider is called a “head-stack assembly,” or “HSA”. The actuator is driven by a voice coil motor (VCM) and pivots on a pivot shaft to move a head-slider in a nominally radial direction of the magnetic-recording disk in proximity with the recording surface of a spinning magnetic-recording disk. This enables the head-slider to access the magnetic-recording disk. The head-slider includes a slider on which magnetic-recording head is affixed, which includes a write element and/or a read element.
The actuator includes an elastic suspension, to which the head-slider is bonded. Force due to pressure caused by air viscosity between the air-bearing surface (ABS) of the head-slider facing the magnetic-recording disk and the spinning magnetic-recording disk balances a load on the head-slider applied by the suspension toward the magnetic-recording disk, so that the head-slider flies in proximity with the recording surface of the magnetic-recording disk. The suspension includes a gimbal for holding the head-slider on the surface of the suspension facing the magnetic-recording disk, and a load-beam for holding the gimbal on the surface of the load-beam facing the magnetic-recording disk. The gimbal is deformable so that the slider can tilt in specific directions to compensate for flutter of the magnetic-recording disk, for example.
On the actuator, a wiring structure, which is called a “trace,” is formed for transmitting signals between a circuit chip, including an amplifier circuit, and elements on the head-slider. The circuit chip is mounted in a flexible printed circuit (FPC) affixed near the pivot shaft for the actuator. One end of the trace is connected with connection pads to the head-slider. The other end of the trace is connected with connection pads to the FPC.
Engineers and scientists engaged in HDD manufacturing and development are interested in manufacturing methods for components of the HDD, such as, the HSA, that are cost effective to meet the rising demands of the marketplace for increased value at low price, performance, and reliability.